Paris

Montmartre alley by night 

Montmartre is the most poetic quarter in Paris. The name Montmartre means 'mountain of the martyr' because of the martyrdom of Saint Denis, the Bishop of Paris and is the patron saint of France, who was decapitated on the hill around 250 AD.

more info on the Official Montmartre site

Paris

Pantheon underground 

The Paris Pantheon (from Greek, it means "Every god") is a building in the Latin Quarter of Paris.
The inscription above the entrance reads AUX GRANDS HOMMES LA PATRIE RECONNAISSANTE. This is because during the early stages of the French Revolution, the National Constituent Assembly decided to convert the old church Abbey of St. Genevieve, already remodeled in 1790, it into a secular mausoleum for prominent Frenchmen.
An early example of neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante's "Tempietto", the Pantheon looks out over all of Paris.
Among those buried in its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Louis Braille, Jean Jaurès and Soufflot, the architects of the Pantheon.
...more on wikipedia

Paris

pink trees on the Seine

Musée d'Orsay

Musée d'Orsay

The Musée d'Orsay is a museum in Paris housed in the former railway station, the Gare d'Orsay, an impressive Beaux-Arts edifice built between 1898 and 1900.

It holds mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography, and is probably best known for its extensive collection of impressionist and post-impressionist masterpieces (the largest in the world) by such painters such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin and Van Gogh. Many of these works were held at the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume prior to the museum's opening in 1986.

The museum building was originally a railway station, Gare d'Orsay, constructed for the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans and finished in time for the 1900 Exposition Universelle.  It was the terminus for the railways of southwestern France until 1939. After 1939 it was used for suburban services and part of it became a mailing centre during World War II.

In 1977 the French Government decided to convert the station to a museum. The work involved creating 20,000 sq. m. of new floorspace on four floors. The new museum was opened by President François Mitterrand on 1 December 1986.

...from Wikipedia

Paris

Panthéon

The Paris Pantheon (from Greek, it means "Every god") is a building in the Latin Quarter of Paris.

The inscription above the entrance reads AUX GRANDS HOMMES LA PATRIE RECONNAISSANTE. This is because during the early stages of the French Revolution, the National Constituent Assembly decided to convert the old church Abbey of St. Genevieve, already remodeled in 1790, it into a secular mausoleum for prominent Frenchmen.

An early example of neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante's "Tempietto", the Pantheon looks out over all of Paris.

Among those buried in its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Louis Braille, Jean Jaurès and Soufflot, the architects of the Pantheon.

...more on wikipedia

Paris

kids playing in paris

Paris

Place du Trocadéro

The Trocadéro, site of the Palais de Chaillot, is an area of Paris, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The hill of the Trocadéro is the hill of Chaillot, a former village. 

In the Battle of Trocadero, the fortified position was captured by French forces led by the Duc d'Angoulême, son of the future king, Charles X, on August 31, 1823. France had intervened on behalf of King Ferdinand VII of Spain, whose rule was contested by a liberal rebellion.

Today the square is officially named Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, although it is usually simply called the Place du Trocadéro.

more on wikipedia

Paris

Paris Pantheon

The Paris Pantheon (from Greek, it means "Every god") is a building in the Latin Quarter of Paris.

The inscription above the entrance reads AUX GRANDS HOMMES LA PATRIE RECONNAISSANTE. This is because during the early stages of the French Revolution, the National Constituent Assembly decided to convert the old church Abbey of St. Genevieve, already remodeled in 1790, it into a secular mausoleum for prominent Frenchmen.

An early example of neoclassicism, with a façade modeled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante's "Tempietto", the Pantheon looks out over all of Paris.

Among those buried in its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Louis Braille, Jean Jaurès and Soufflot, the architects of the Pantheon.

...more on wikipedia

Paris

Golden Paris

Paris

Cemetery of Montmartre

Covering more than 10 hectares in the hollow of an old quarry in the 18th arrondissement, and built below street level, Montmartre cemetery was opened in 1825.

Although located in the midst of a bustling section of Paris, with a major boulevard running over divisions 17 and 18, once you find your way into Montmartre you'll discover the peace and quiet of strolling down its streets and avenues.

Among the famous and near-famous here you'll find Edgar Degas, Jacques Offenbach, Heinrich Heine, Nijinsky, Stendhal, Adolphe Sax (yes the guy who invented the sax), Francois Truffaut and Emile Zola's family (he was removed to the Pantheon). Also some of the most striking sculptures in Paris can be found in Montmartre.

(from Official Site)

Paris

Basilique du Sacré-Cœur

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France.

A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.

from wikipedia

Paris

Appartements Napoléon III, Grand Salon

Palais du Louvre

Paris

puces de St.Ouen

The puces de St-Ouen claims to be the largest flea market in the world, the name "flea" deriving from the state of the secondhand mattresses, clothes and other junk sold here when the market first operated in the free-for-all zone outside the city walls.

read more info on FranceForVisitors.com

Paris

Saint-Séverin

The Church of Saint-Séverin is a church in the Latin Quarter of Paris, located on the lively tourist street Rue Saint-Séverin.

It is one of the oldest churches that remains standing on the Left Bank, and it continues in use as a place of worship.

The church is dedicated to Séverin, who is said to have been a hermit who lived there and prayed in a small rudimentary oratory. After Séverin's death, a basilica was constructed on the spot. This was destroyed by the Vikings, and the current church building was started in the 11th century, though its major features are late Gothic and date from the 15th century.

Its external features include some fine gargoyles. Its bells include the oldest one remaining in Paris, cast in 1412; their ringing is recalled in a well known poem in praise of Paris by Alan Seeger.

Internal features of the church include both ancient stained glass and a set of seven modern windows by Jean René Bazaine, inspired by the seven sacraments of the Catholic church, around the ambulatory. The ambulatory also includes an unusual pillar in the form of the trunks of a palm tree, that brings to mind the Apprentice Pillar at Rosslyn Chapel. The construction of the marble choir was made possible by donations from Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, a cousin of Louis XIV. The organ is signed Jean Ferrand.

...from Wikipedia

Paris

Musée de Cluny (National Museum of the Middle Ages)

The Hôtel de Cluny was once the town house of the abbots of Cluny and is now the Musée de Cluny, an important museum containing a variety of artifacts from the Middle Ages. The Hôtel de Cluny is partly constructed on impressive remains of Gallo-Roman baths dating from the 3rd century (known as the Thermes de Cluny) and may still be visited.

more on Wikipedia

Paris

Saint-Séverin ambulatory

The Church of Saint-Séverin is a church in the Latin Quarter of Paris, located on the lively tourist street Rue Saint-Séverin. It is one of the oldest churches that remains standing on the Left Bank, and it continues in use as a place of worship. The church is dedicated to Séverin, who is said to have been a hermit who lived there and prayed in a small rudimentary oratory. After Séverin's death, a basilica was constructed on the spot. This was destroyed by the Vikings, and the current church building was started in the 11th century, though its major features are late Gothic and date from the 15th century.

Its external features include some fine gargoyles. Its bells include the oldest one remaining in Paris, cast in 1412; their ringing is recalled in a well known poem in praise of Paris by Alan Seeger.

Internal features of the church include both ancient stained glass and a set of seven modern windows by Jean René Bazaine, inspired by the seven sacraments of the Catholic church, around the ambulatory. The ambulatory also includes an unusual pillar in the form of the trunks of a palm tree, that brings to mind the Apprentice Pillar at Rosslyn Chapel. The construction of the marble choir was made possible by donations from Anne, Duchess of Montpensier, a cousin of Louis XIV. The organ is signed Jean Ferrand.

...from Wikipedia

Paris

Cimetière du Père-Lachaise

Cimetière du Père-Lachaise (officially "cimetière de l'Est") is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris, though there are larger cemeteries in the city's suburbs. It's one of the most famous cemeteries in the world, and it is reputed to be the world's most-visited cemetery, more than a million and a half people come to Pere-Lachaise each year, to walk its 44 hectares (nearly 109 acres) consisting of tens of thousands of monuments, many of which are dedicated to some of the world's greatest names in the arts, sciences, literature and of course history. People from all over the world come to pay their respects, to get as close as they possibly can to figures about whom they only know through books, movies, music or legends. And of course many of France's heroes (or villains) are buried here as well as many of themost beloved writers, movie stars and TV personalities.

Here's just a sampling:

Francois Poulenc, Heloise and Abelard, Camille Pissaro, Cherubini, Chopin, Breguet (yeah the watch guy), Lalique (yeah the glass guy), Michel Petrucciani, Auguste Comte, Champollion, Samuel Hahnemann, Gustave Dore, Jim Morrison, Moliere, La Fontaine, Murat, Antoine Parmentier, Sarah Bernhardt, Balzac, Delacroix, Merleau-Ponty, Georges Melies, Bizet, Marcel Proust, Apollinaire, Isadora Duncan, Stephane Grappelli, Richard Wright, Auguste Blanqui, Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas, Modigliani, Edith Piaf, Colette, Oscar Wilde and scores of France's greatest military heroes, scientists, artists and literary figures as well as some of the most powerful and poignant memorials to the tens of thousands of French jews deported to Nazi death camps, virtually all of whom perished.

(from Wikipedia and official site)

Paris

Hôtel de Cluny

The Hôtel de Cluny was once the town house of the abbots of Cluny and is now the Musée de Cluny, an important museum containing a variety of artifacts from the Middle Ages. The Hôtel de Cluny is partly constructed on impressive remains of Gallo-Roman baths dating from the 3rd century (known as the Thermes de Cluny) and may still be visited.

more on Wikipedia

Paris

Beautiful Paris

Notre Dame de Paris  Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité in Paris.
It is the cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese of Paris and is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in Europe.
Its sculptures and stained glass show the heavy influence of naturalism. Notre Dame de Paris was among the first buildings in the world to use the flying buttress (arched exterior supports). The building was not originally designed to include the flying buttresses around the choir and nave. After the construction began and the thinner walls (popularized in the Gothic style) grew ever higher, stress fractures began to occur as the walls pushed outward. In response, the cathedral's architects built supports around the outside walls, and later additions continued the pattern.
The cathedral suffered desecration during the radical phase of the French Revolution in the 1790s, when much of its religious imagery was damaged or destroyed. During the 19th century, an extensive restoration project was completed, returning the cathedral to its previous state.
More info on Wikipedia

Paris

Brulerie Caumartin Cafe